Railway switch



P 1931- v R. A. OVERMILLER 1,825,415

RAILWAY SWITCH.

Filed April 25, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l WITNESS.- INVENTOR 6 Hi5 ATTORNEY p 1931. R. A. OVERMILLER 1,825,415

RAILWAY SWITCH Filed April 25, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v 371 .a. M w

/0 m Y i WITNESS: IN VEN TOR RmyADvermfller H13 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES ROY A. OVlilBMILLER, OF SHARON HILL, PENNSYLVANIA RAILWAY swrrcn v Application filed April 25, 1931. Serial No. 532,757.

This invention relates to railway switches, and has for an object to provide a new and improved type of railway switch wherein movable rail sections are actuated through different amplitudesfor the purpose of registrations.

Y A further .obj ect of the invention is to provide a railway switch wherein the main line rail and the sidetrackrail are formed of con-1 tinuous rail sections so that each of said tracks, when employed, is acontinuous rail.

A further object of the invention is to provide a railway switch having rail sections movable through differentv amplitudes and movable means for supporting the rail sections against lateral thrust.

The invention, therefore, comprises fixed rail sections and movable rail sections alined with the main line, and with the side track, said movable sections being laterally shifted into alinement with the fixed sections, such movement moving in different amplitudes, and with means for moving said sections which in themselves form the supports.

The invention is directed to; other objects, and possesses other features of novelty and advantage, some of which, together with the foregoing, will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved railway switch,

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 ofFigure 1,

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view in side elevation of one of the blocks, and its associated parts, employed for'moving. the rail sections and supporting them against lateral thrust, and

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the operation of the movable rails as pairs.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Ill

f The-improved railway switch, which forms the subject matter of this application, is adapted to operate in conjunction with fixed rail sections A and B, such sections being fixed in any usual well known manner, and 5' no showing-of any means for fixing has been thought necessary.

Spaced from these fixed sections A and B by a suflicient interval for the operation of the switch, are other fixed main line rail sections Oand D, and slde track rail sections E and F.

. In the interval between the groups of fixed rail sections as just enumerated, the switch organization forming this invention is located. m I,"

There is a rail section 10, pivoted at 11 to the fixed rail section C, and a rail section 12 pivoted at 13 to-the rail section D. These sections 10 and 12 constitute the sections forming the main or through line. 65,

To the rail sectionE, a curvedrail section 1 1 is pivoted at'15, and another curved rail section 16 pivoted at 17 to the rail section F. These curved rail sections 14 and 16 constitute a part of the side track. 7 7

. It will be noted from Figure 1, that when the switch is arranged for through trafi'ic on the main line, the rail section 14 is spaced a considerable distance from the rail section 10, while the rail section 16 abuts against the outer side of the rail section 12. When the side track is to be employed, the rail sections 12 and 14 are shifted to dotted line positions. At the same time, the rail sections 16 and 10 are also shifted to dotted line positions. It will be noted, however, that the sections 10 and 16 shift but substantially the width of the head of the rail, whereas the sections 12 and 14. shift a sufficient distance to provide clearance for the flanges of the wheels. 95

It follows, therefore, that the rail sections 12 and 1 1 and the rail sections 10 and 16 operate as two independent pairs, whether actually physically connected or operated by the same type of mechanism to provide the same amplitude of movement. At Figure 5, there is diagrammatically illustrated, the pairing of these rail sections by showing the rail sections interconnected. Such interconnection shown by the rods 18 and 19 may not actually exist, but mechanism employed is employed which will move the rails as p airswhether interconnected or not.

It is well known, that the lateral thrust upon rails instant upon the passage of rolling stock thereover is outwardly only, as the flanges of the wheels prevent any tendency to move inwardly. There is, therefore, in the present organization, means provided upon the remote sides of this installation to support the lateral thrust of the passing rolling stock. Various means may be employed for this purpose, but it is deemed expedient to employ such devices as will not only form such supporting abutments, but will serve to move the rails as required by the shifting of the pairs.

Mounted upon the remote sides of the rails as shown, are a plurality of abutments 20 which are fixed relative to the rails in any approved manner as by being rigidly secured to the cross ties 21. These abutments and as sociatcd parts are approximately identical, each with the other, and upon each remote side of the rails, so that the description of one will completely describe all.

Slidable relative to these abutments, are blocks 22 which bear against the remote sides of the rail sections 10 and 16, and may be rigidly connected thereto. Such rigid connection is indicated by the bolts 23. These blocks move with the rails and in a direction laterally of the rails. To move the blocks, and therefore to move the rails, oppositely inclined wedge members 24L and 25 are employed, such wedge members varying in thickness according to the amplitude of movement of the rails at that particular point, which varies, of course, as the point is remote from their several pivots.

These wedges 24: and 25 operate against the abutments 20 and the slide blocks 22, so that as these wedges are actuated in a direction longitudinally of the rail, the blocks, by the wedging action, are moved relative to the abutmcnts, moving therewith, the rail sections to which the blocks are connecte To move these wedges, a rod 26 extends in the line generally parallel with the rails and is reciprocated by means of cranks 27 formed upon the shaft 28 which may be considered a part of the switch stand and oscillated in any approved manner, a crank arm 29 being shown at Figure 1 as a conventional means for accomplishing the purpose.

It will be readily noted from the examination of Figure 1, that the opposite reciprocation of the wedges 24 and 25 will respectively, by acting upon the blocks 22, move the rail sect-ion 11 laterally, and the similar construction upon the opposite side will similarly move the rail section 16. These rail sections 10 and 16 are moved but a relatively short distance, as indicated in dotted lines.

The rail sections 12 and 14 are interconnected by means of a plate or bar 30, means being indicated at 31 for attachment to the rails. This bar 30 carries abutnients 32 and and operates over a central block containing the lixed abutments 3e, 35 and 36. Wedges 37 and 38 are arranged to bear at their longer sides against the iixed abutment 35, and at their inclined sides against the abutments 32 and 33 of the bar 30. These wedges 37 and are reciprocated through the medium of bars 39 and 40 connected with the crank arms ll and 42 of the shaft 28.

it is deemed advisable that all of the several wedges 24:, 25, 37 and 38 shall be provided with yielding means to insure the propcr movemen of each wedge individually, and also to compensate for wear. At Figure 4, enlarged detail is shown wherein uprights 43 are shown as'carriedupon the rods 26, and springs 44 and &5 are connected between such uprights and the ends of the wedges 22. Similar springs -16 and -47 are similarly employed upon the rods 39 and 40 to control the action of the wedges and 38.

At the end of the section 14:, it is thought wise to employ means for shifting such section, and wedges 48 and 49 are therefore positioned to act upon the rail section oppositely controlled by the rods 50 and 51 respectively pivoted to the crank arms 52 and 53. As the shaft 28 is oscillated, these wedges likewise are reciprocated. The wedge 48 serves the purpose not only of moving the rails, but also to clear out any accumulation between the rail sections, so that the rail section 14, on be ing moved, may move into contact with the rail section 10.

It will be obvious also, that the inclined sides of the several wedges shown is no indication of the actual inclination to be employed as by moving the wedges through a greater reciprocal movement, wedges of longer taper may be substituted for the wedges as shown, such wedges being shown merely as examples without limitation upon the actual shape of such wedges.

While a number of these wedge exhibits have been shown upon the remote sides of the rail organization respectively, it is to be understood that the number may be varied and may be extended along a greater lineal amplitude of the rails, or may be lessened and employed only at such points as the traffic may make necessary or desirable.

In operation, as the device is shown at Figure 1, trains will pass over the rail sections A and B, over the rails sections 10 and 12, and the rail sections 0 and D. This will be considered the main line, and by this arrangement, continuous alined rails-are provided. When it is desired to employ the side track, the crank arm 29 is shown mei ely as representative of applied power as oscillated to oscillate the shaft 28, which action is only ageneric showing of any type of mechanism for performing the purpose. The movement of these parts will move the rods 26, 39, 40, 50 and 51 to move the wedges attached thereto, and thereby, will withdraw the wedges which are shown as operating for supporting purposes respectively, the wedges 25, 38 and 48 and will force the wedges 24, 37 and 49 to advance, acting against their respective abutments to force all of the rail sections 10, 14, 12 and 16 laterally to dotted. line positions.

By a comparison of the wedges 24, 37 and 49 with the wedges shown as in operation, it will be obvious that the rail sections 10 and 16 will move to the distance provided by the wedges 24, while the rail sections 12 and 14 will move through the amplitude provided by the wedges 37 and 49. It will, therefore,'follow that the proximate pair of rail sections 12 and 14 will both move through a much greater amplitude laterally than will the remote sections 10 and 16, and that when the movement has been accomplished to dotted line positions, the position of the rail section 12, then at 12, will permit the passage of the flanges 7 between such rail section and the rail section 16, which is then the tred section, the other tred section being the rail section 14 which in thatposition, as shown in dotted lines, will abut laterally against the rail section 10 which has moved substantially only its own width and is supported by suchrail section, which in turn, is supported by the block structure.

It will be obvious also, that either of these rail organizations, represented in the one instance by the rails 10 and 14, and in the other instance by the rails 12 and 16, will operate in conjunction with switch mechanisms of the present approved type, that is to say, with the switch point type so that only one side need be equipped.

It, therefore, the rail sections 12 and 16 only be employed of the present type, the well known type may be substituted for the sections 14 and 10 as the danger of splitting a switch when a siding is to be made is small relative to the danger of splitting a switch on the main line.

Of course, the railway switch, herein illustrated, may be modified in various ways without d parting "from the' invention herein; set

2. "Arailway' switch comprising fixed rail sections and rail sections adapted to move laterally into-register with the fixed sections, and means to move said movable sections as pairs, said pairs moving'through different lateral amplitudes. I Y j r a M 3'. A railway switch comprising fixed rail sections, other rail sections mounted to move laterally into register with the fixed sections, means for moving said movable sections as pairs,-said pairs moving through different lateral amplitudes, and means cooperating with said moving means forming rigid braces upon the remote sides of said movable sections. 4

4. A railway switch comprising fixed rail sections, other rail sections mounted to move laterally relative to and into register with the fixed sections, means upon the remote sides of said movable sections to support said sections against lateral thrust, and means to move said movable sections laterally, said moving means serving to brace said rails against lateral thrust in their new positions.

5. A railway switch comprising fixed rail sections, a pair of movable rail sections in alinement with the fixed sections, a rail section abutting one of said movable sections upon one side, another rail section spaced from the other of said movable sections, means to shift said movable sections to move the sections initially out of register into alinement with the fixed sections, said movement moving one of said sections away from the sections against which it initially abutted and the section initially spaced from the adjoining section into lateral abutment.

6. A railway switch comprising fixed rail sections, movable rail sections adapted to register at times with the fixed sections, and wedge members upon the remote sides of said movable sections movable to shift the movable sections laterally into and out of register with the fixed sections.

7. A railway switch comprising fixed rail sections, a plurality of rail sections mounted to move laterally into and out of register with said fixed sections, and wedges coacting with said movable sections tending to move said sections laterally through different amplitudes to affect alinement.

8. Arailway switch comprising fixed rail sections, a pair of rail sections in alinement terposed between said movable sections and adapted to move laterally, said'last mentioned section being normally spaced away from its adjoining section, a rail section disposed upon the remote side of the other first mentioned movable rail section, means to move the outer section and the intermediate section laterally through different amplitudes into register With the fixed rail sections, said means similarly moving the first 1 mentioned movable rail sections laterally through different amplitudes affecting the spacing of one of said sections away from the registering section.

In testimony whereof I have signed my Y name to this specification.

ROY A. OVERMILLER. 

